There are a wide variety of viruses that cause various disorders, ranging from common human ailments (e.g., common cold, flu, chickenpox, and cold sore) to serious human diseases (e.g., Ebola, avian influenza, AIDS, and SARS). Some viruses are established causes of malignancy in humans and other animals. For example, papillomavirus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human T-lymphotropic virus have been associated with human cancers.
One of the most effective treatments of viral diseases is use of antiviral drugs. Different antiviral drugs target different stages of the viral life cycle. Taking influenza treatment for example, conventional anti-influenza drugs inhibit the membrane fusion or replication step by targeting viral hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, M2 ion channel, or 3P polymerase complex, or host factors such as kinases, as described in, e.g., Hsieh et al., Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2007, 13, 3531-3542.
Quinoline compounds, a binding ligand of nucleic acid, have been studied for their therapeutic use.